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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Conclusion/See ya real soon!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't want to grow up! I want to stay in Neverland forever! I miss my friends! I miss my job! I miss the parks! I want to stay at Disney forever!

In other words, I had an amazing time. I can't see myself not working there again, to be honest. Granted, it hasn't even been a week since I clocked out of my last shift(I forgot to take a picture of my last Mickey...). So the glow might just be taking some time to wear off. But it was a really awful last week, and if I miss THAT, well, that has to mean something, right?

I feel like I learned more about myself and life during this program than about anything else. Yes, of course I learned a lot about Disney. I learned my way around the utilidors. I learned how to run the registers there, and how to use a cash apron. I learned how to load a glow cart into a too-small elevator. I learned that when the QSF and Stands people left the grease bin open, it stank up the Adventureland utilidor a million times worse than usual. I learned the ins and outs of transportation around the resort as a CP without a car(so easy. Time-consuming, but easy). I learned that guests can often make your day, but they usually can't ruin it. I learned how to say five, seven, ten, and fifteen in Portugese. I memorized whole parades, castle shows, and fireworks shows. I learned what the best food items are, at least in the Magic Kingdom. I learned about using cast discounts.

But those are lessons specific to my life at Disney. Here's what I learned about myself and life in general: I learned that I like living on my own. I learned that I can make friends pretty easily, if those friends want to be made. I learned that people everywhere love talking about themselves, and if you let them, they'll be happier for it. I learned that it's easy to love absolute strangers. I learned to be proud of who I am, whether that's a Mormon, Alaskan, Washingtonian, CP, Merch cast member, Glow girl, or whoever. I learned that's it's important to be able to be open with people, especially ones you live with. It's easier to get everything out there instead of bottling stuff up or feeling awkward. I learned that while I love biology, I also, to a certain extent, love retail(possibly because I'm good at it, but there are worse reasons to like something). And I learned that the best sorts of magical moments are ones that comes straight from the heart.

I'm going to miss everyone so much. To both sets of roommates that I had, you were all amazing. To all of my Adventureland cast members, you guys rock. To the Glow people, more specifically: I will never, ever forget you. To the amazing members of the Buena Vista Ward, thank you so much for being awesome. The Church is SO true. And to Walt Disney World: See ya real soon!

(I'm going to begin a series of posts geared for new CPs. But I'll definitely be posting more stories from my program as I remember them. Ciao!)